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~*~
Rhodes Island was a lot colder than Tomimi was used to.
To be fair, a lot of places would be. She’d spent her whole life until now in Sargon’s steamy jungles, after all. Rhodes Island’s cool metal decks could never compare to that.
Unfortunately, a number of Catastrophes involved wind and rain, which combined to just suck all the warmth out of the air. And since the landship that would become Rhodes Island was built with Rim Billiton’s deserts in mind, its heating systems were only installed as an afterthought, and their performance was inconsistent at best.
Tomimi shivered, making her way down Rhodes Island’s dormitory levels. Her tail’s unusual girth made it difficult for her to wear pants, much less bundle up against the cold. But she had a longer cloak waiting in her room, and Gavial’s shift in the medical wing would be ending soon, so maybe she could make them some hot cocoa…
Tomimi paused, suddenly finding her way blocked by orange traffic cones and criss-crossing hazard tape. She blinked, puzzled.
“Sorry,” Closure said, poking her head out from a box of parts. “This hall’s closed. For maintenance.”
“Oh,” Tomimi said. Maybe they were finally fixing the heat. “But… my room’s down this hall. Can I just go get my coat?”
Closure shook her head. “Nope. Sorry. It’s a safety thing. But we should be done in an hour or so, so maybe you can just hang out in the cafeteria for a little bit?”
Tomimi pouted, and decided against mumbling something about Closure really living up to her name. But if it was just for an hour…
“Oh, coming through,” Closure said, and stepped aside, pulling up the hazard tape. There was a whirring of mechanical wheels, and Lancet-2 and Castle-3 rolled on by, carrying something on their heads. Something… familiar.
“Hey! That’s my bed!” Tomimi balked. She reached out and snatched the dreamcatcher hanging above the headboard, clutching it to her chest. She breathed in its soothing, floral scent, before turning, her tail thumping against the floor in indignation.
“What is going on down there?” Tomimi demanded, marching down the hall.
“Hey, wait, you can’t go back there--!” Closure called after her in vain.
The door to Tomimi’s room was ajar, and light was spilling into the darkened hall. Tomimi remembered Gavial’s advice to be more assertive (her actual phrasing was “say it with your chest”), took a deep breath, and threw the door open.
“Excuse me! What are you doing in my room!”
Eunectes dropped her screwdriver with a clatter. She stared at Tomimi, stricken, caught red-handed.
Tomimi blinked. “...Zu…?”
Eunectes squealed in panic and launched herself at Tomimi. They toppled onto the floor, Eunectes’ hand clamped over Tomimi’s mouth.
“Tomi! Shhh! Shhhh! Don’t scream!” Eunectes babbled.
“Why would I scream? What’s going on?” Tomimi asked, muffled.
“Is Gavial with you? Is Gavial coming?!” Eunectes pressed.
“No! She’s still working!” Tomimi replied.
Eunectes blew out a sigh of relief. She and Tomimi suddenly became aware of the position they were in-- Eunectes holding Tomimi by the shoulders, straddling her hips. She scrambled to her feet, pulling Tomimi up with her.
“Zuma, what’s going on?” Tomimi wondered. “...What did you do with my bed?”
Eunectes sheepishly scratched the back of her head. She stepped aside, letting Tomimi get a better look at the device where her bed used to be-- a flat, firmly padded plate set on a raised dais above the floor, and a trio of adjustable mechanical arms holding an array of heat lamps.
“You always said there’s nothing more important than a good night’s sleep, yeah? And Gavial’s always talking about how her bed’s too soft, and her back hurts, and it’s always so cold… I thought I’d give you guys a way to get some sun.” Eunectes shrugged. “...Sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
Tomimi gasped, a hand over her mouth. “This is… this is amazing! You built this?”
“I mean, I had help, but… yeah,” Eunectes muttered, suddenly bashful, staring at the floor. “We’ve been aboard Rhodes Island for awhile now, and you two are my best friends. I wanted to do something nice.”
Eunectes yelped in surprise as Tomimi pounced on her and gave her a hug. Eunectes stiffened at first, but then relaxed, slowly snaking her arms around Tomimi’s waist. She was so, so warm.
“She’s going to love it,” Tomimi cooed. “Thank you so much.”
Eunectes felt a warm flutter in her chest. Tomimi didn’t smile often, but when she did? It was downright blinding.
“I’m home!”
Tomimi yelped and whirled around, her tail bowling Eunectes off her feet. Tomimi was about to squeak out an apology before she clamped a hand over her own mouth. They exchanged wordless glances, Eunectes slithering under a nightstand and Tomimi stepping out to greet Gavial.
“Welcome back,” Tomimi said warmly.
“Hey, Mimi,” Gavial said wearily. She had a crick in her neck and a sour mood from a long day in medical, but she could always manage a smile for Tomimi. “Did you see Closure’s got this hall roped off for maintenance? She’s really living up to her name. Maybe she’s finally gonna get the heat fixed.”
“O-Oh, that’s good…” Tomimi murmured.
Gavial unzipped her field jacket. She tossed it onto a coat hook without looking, her aim perfected from months of routine.
“How was work?” Tomimi asked. “Did… did you go into the field today?”
“Nah,” Gavial shrugged. “This is just warmer than what I usually wear.”
Tomimi blinked. “...Then why did you bring your sword…?”
“It’s called fashion, babe,” Gavial grinned, patting the sword on her hip.
Gavial flopped into bed. Or, rather, she flopped onto where her bed used to be, and ended up thudding onto a firm mat, her sword clattering against her side. She gazed up at the ceiling, staring down a trio of mechanical arms arrayed like some metal hydra. Gavial sat up, meeting Tomimi’s eyes.
“Babe,” Gavial said flatly, “what happened to our bed?”
“Surprise!” Eunectes cried, springing out from under the nightstand.
Eunectes ducked with a squeal as a sword flashed over her head.
“It’s me!” Eunectes squeaked.
Gavial exhaled. She slowly lowered her sword.
“...Hey, Mama,” Gavial smirked.
Eunectes stamped her foot, red flashing across her cheeks. “D-Don’t call me that…!”
“You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that. That doesn’t usually end well,” Gavial grinned, slipping her sword back into its sheath. “Mimi, why didn’t you tell me you had company over?”
Tomimi shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cold. Her heart was still racing from the image of Gavial reflexively yanking her behind her, sword in hand, ready to defend her in a flash, and Tomimi was still quite incapable of speaking.
“I, uh… I can explain,” Eunectes said. She pulled a remote control off the nightstand and started tinkering. “Well, it might be easier if I just show you…”
An hour later, the trio was sprawled out under the radiant heat of Eunectes’ new sun bed. Tomimi and Gavial were laying flat on their stomachs-- something about that just felt right, felt natural-- and Eunectes lay behind them, half-asleep, her tail curled around Gavial’s waist while she cuddled Tomimi’s tail like it was a full body pillow.
Gavial watched Tomimi, out like a light, stretched out in the tangle of limbs, blissfully warm. Gavial reached out, gently trailing her fingers through Tomimi’s hair, while reaching down to Eunectes’ tail coiled around her waist and giving her a playful squeeze.
Someone rapped their knuckles against the door.
“Hey Doc,” Franka said, just walking in. “I got a--”
Franka paused, taking in the sight of the three reptiles basking on a thin, firm mattress that looked rather like a rock. She blinked, her tail swishing in curiosity.
“Am…” Franka broke into a grin. “Am I interrupting something? Was it good for all three of you?”
“Shut up,” Gavial chuckled. She pulled down her sunglasses and peered up at her. “Can I help you, foxy?”
“Well, I was gonna say I had a question, but you’re obviously not on duty,” Franka smirked.
“Yeah, nope. Go find Silence if you’ve got any medical questions.”
“Let me ask you this, then. Guys like you don’t like the cold, right?”
“Right.”
“Is that why Liskarm wears that fugly turtleneck everywhere she goes?”
They laughed together. Gavial shooed Franka out, and Franka shut the door behind her, leaving the trio to cuddle and bask on their rock. Franka skipped down the hall, thoroughly amused by the sight of Gavial in sunglasses draped in beautiful women, and quietly made plans for Liskarm’s sweater to get lost in the laundry room. After she bought her a new heat lamp, of course.
~*~